But what could I do? In the end, I still indulged her.
He took Ni Jingxi's phone out; it had originally been inside her clothes, but now he placed it beside him.
But just as she got the phone, she received a call from Hua Zheng.
Hua Zheng: "Lord Ni, why didn't you come to work? Do you know? Our entire newspaper office is going crazy."
"What's wrong?" Ni Jingxi was a little confused. If she hadn't just asked and confirmed that only one night had passed, she would have thought she had been unconscious for several days.
Hua Zheng said excitedly, "The news came out this morning that the government has decided to send an investigation team to Dadikang to thoroughly investigate the matter."
"You succeeded, you succeeded."
One person, one pen, completely changed everything.
Ni Jingxi remained in a daze until she hung up the phone. She had thought this would be a protracted war, and many journalists had gone through such a difficult struggle.
But she won.
When she turned her head and looked into Huo Shenyan's smiling eyes, she seemed to understand something immediately.
She watched him, finally enduring the excruciating pain, and reached out to hug his neck.
Actually, this was something she had wanted to do since just now.
“Actually, I wasn’t scared at all when I was being hit.” Ni Jingxi leaned on his shoulder, her voice drifting into his ear.
She chuckled softly, even though her body ached slightly with the slightest movement.
But she was no longer afraid.
She whispered, "Because I was thinking that when my husband came back, he definitely wouldn't let them get away with it."
Author's Note: Sure enough, your husband really didn't let them off the hook; he even took the pot.
*
Chapter 30
Huo Shenyan looked down at the girl in front of him. Her eyes held a cunning glint, her expressions were adorable as she spoke, and she spoke with such complete dependence.
For so long, he used all the patience he would never have again in his life to slowly enter her world, trying to break through the hard and tough shell that surrounded her.
Finally, for the first time, he felt he was close to success.
Is that naive? Yes, it is.
It's like what kindergarten kids say: when someone bullies you badly, your first thought is, "I have reinforcements! If my reinforcements find out, they'll definitely make sure none of you get away with it."
But is it funny?
It wasn't funny; in fact, it moved him. For the first time, his little girl realized that she didn't have to carry the whole world on her shoulders. As she struggled against the world, there would always be someone behind her protecting her.
Huo Shenyan closed his eyes briefly, then reached out and gently pulled the person into his arms.
If her current physical condition didn't prevent it, he really wanted to hold her tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his arms.
Until the girl in his arms said sullenly, "I don't think I've asked for leave yet."
Huo Shenyan: "..."
If it weren't for the fact that she was covered in injuries, Huo Shenyan really wouldn't have wanted to let her go. He had never seen a girl who could ruin the atmosphere as well as her.
Ni Jingxi called Lao Zhang, and as soon as the call connected, Lao Zhang chuckled and said, "Jingxi, you really stole the show this time. Dadi Kang really won't live past fifteen. The editor-in-chief was just asking you when you're coming to the newspaper office?"
Because the reporters at the newspaper have quite flexible working hours, some don't even need to clock in in the morning if they have scheduled an interview.
Of course, these are rights that only veteran journalists have.
Every new reporter has to go through the tough times.
She hadn't arrived yet, so Old Zhang didn't bother to reprimand her and simply turned a blind eye.
Ni Jingxi said in a low voice, "Team leader, I need to ask for a few days off."
Old Zhang was stunned. Ni Jingxi was about to become a big star at the newspaper, so why was she taking leave? He asked cautiously, "Is something wrong at home?"
"I was assaulted and am currently hospitalized. So I need to take a few days off."
Her tone was flat, as calm as if she were discussing the weather.
Not to mention that Old Zhang on the other end of the phone was taken aback by her tone and was wondering if he had misheard, even Huo Shenyan, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
If he likes Ni Jingxi, then her personality must be one of the reasons.
She has a really cool and tough personality, and she's really unique.
Huo Shenyan had never seen that kind of drive in anyone else.
Old Zhang really took a good several tens of seconds to speak before asking, "You...you were hit?"
Ni Jingxi hummed in agreement, her tone remaining calm. She said, "The doctor said I need to be hospitalized for observation for a few days, so I need to take a few days off."
"Is it that serious? Which hospital are you in? I'll tell the editor-in-chief later and come see you."
Old Zhang paced back and forth in his office. Although Ni Jingxi hadn't explicitly said anything, he immediately thought of retaliation. After all, she was such a pretty young woman; men usually couldn't take their eyes off her. Who would have the heart to hit her for no reason?
This is not necessarily because of the article; it could be a form of retaliation.
Ni Jingxi glanced at the man beside her. If her colleague really came to see her, wouldn't everything be exposed?
So she said softly, "Thank you, team leader, but it's no need to go to so much trouble. Besides, the doctor said I need to rest now."
Oh, right, rest quietly, don't disturb him. Old Zhang quickly nodded, completely unaware that the person on the other side couldn't see him nodding at all.
However, Lao Zhang still reminded him, "Take good care of yourself and rest for a month. Don't worry about the editor-in-chief; I'll definitely put in a good word for you. This is a work-related injury, after all."
This... this counts as a work-related injury, right?
This thought suddenly popped into Old Zhang's mind.
However, Ni Jingxi was also confused by his words. On the contrary, Lao Zhang said very enthusiastically, "Don't lose your hospital invoices or anything. I will try my best to get reimbursed for you if possible."
Old Zhang truly embodies the fine traditions of Southern men—diligence, thrift, and managing the household well.
Just before hanging up, Ni Jingxi couldn't help but say, "Team leader, could you please not tell the rest of the team when I was beaten?"
Old Zhang was stunned.
Then I heard a sigh from the other end: "It's pretty embarrassing."
Ni Jingxi genuinely felt ashamed. If she had hit someone else, she wouldn't mind Lao Zhang talking about it everywhere. But now that she was the one who had suffered a loss and was hospitalized, Ni Jingxi felt she still couldn't save face.
As she was on the phone, Huo Shenyan kept looking up at her, then looking up again.
Seeing his hesitant expression, Ni Jingxi simply asked, "What's wrong?"
"Are you thinking about what kind of girl I married?" Huo Shenyan said expressionlessly.
Other girls, let alone being beaten, would cry and complain even if they just cut their finger. But she was different. When she mentioned being beaten, her tone was indifferent and her expression was calm, as if she were talking about someone else's business.
Ni Jingxi tilted her head slightly, her soft, plump lips parted in a gentle smile: "Baby."
You married a beautiful girl.
Huo Shenyan reached out and gently brushed the tip of her nose: "How arrogant!"
"Oh, right, Lao Zhang told me to make sure I keep all my hospital bills, because the newspaper might reimburse me later." Ni Jingxi, wearing a light pink hospital gown, smiled. "He said it's a work-related injury."
Huo Shenyan: "..." Why did he feel that this girl was quite smug?
So he simply poured cold water on her enthusiasm, looked around the ward, and whispered, "Do you think this can be reimbursed?"
Only then did Ni Jingxi take a closer look at the ward. The pure white ward had an elegant environment, with carpets on the floor, decorative paintings on the walls, and even a bouquet of fresh and elegant lilies on the table next to the window.
Moreover, the ward is not just a single room; there is also a small meeting room outside, furnished with a set of sofas.
Ni Jingxi blinked lightly and finally admitted, "It seems like it's not possible."
The price of this type of ward is calculated on a daily basis, and it is definitely not eligible for reimbursement.
*
After hanging up the phone, Lao Zhang immediately reported the matter to the editor-in-chief. The editor-in-chief frowned and said, "Didn't you find out which hospital she's staying in?"
"Jingxi said she needed to rest, so I didn't ask any further questions."
The editor-in-chief said angrily, "Foolish."
He stood up and looked at Old Zhang with a hint of helplessness, saying, "She said we don't need to go see her, are you really not going?"
Old Zhang was taken aback.
"Why was Ni Jingxi attacked this time? It's most likely related to the Dadi Kang incident." The editor-in-chief sighed and continued, "Especially in times like these, we should support our reporters. After all, if even the newspaper is indifferent to this, who will dare to report the truth next time?"
Honestly, when the news of the investigation team's arrival at Dadikang came out this morning, even the editor-in-chief felt quite excited.
After all, this article could only be published after his approval. Perhaps his drive and his keen sense of news are not as good as they were in his youth, let alone as good as those of today's young people. But he was glad that there was someone like Ni Jingxi in the newspaper who stood up.
If all news reports are peaceful and serene, then is there any need for journalists to exist?
Moreover, Ni Jingxi was attacked because she was reporting the truth. No matter what others say, the newspaper must stand behind her and be her support.
This is the only way to prevent such outstanding and ambitious young journalists from losing confidence and a sense of responsibility.
Upon hearing this, Lao Zhang quickly said, "I'm sorry, editor-in-chief, I didn't think of that. I just wanted Xiao Ni to rest and recover."
"It's not your fault. After all, we should let Xiao Ni rest first. Once she's recovered a bit in a couple of days, we'll go visit her right away."
Old Zhang nodded.
Afterwards, Lao Zhang personally went to the administration office to request leave for Ni Jingxi.
When Wen Tang returned from the restroom, she saw Lao Zhang saying to the administration, "We'll send you the sick leave certificate later, thank you for your help."
"Team Leader Zhang, you're absolutely right. It's only right."
After Lao Zhang left, Wen Tang slowly walked over. The administrative staff greeted her with smiles as she approached. Wen Tang asked, "I just heard you talking about sick leave certificates. Is our team leader sick?"
"No, Team Leader Zhang is here to ask for leave on behalf of Ni Jingxi. She said she is sick and needs to take leave."
Wen Tang gave an "oh," but inwardly sneered, thinking that Ni Jingxi was really precious these days, having to ask Old Zhang for sick leave even when she was sick.
She smiled and was about to leave when the administrator muttered, "I wonder what's wrong with Ni Jingxi. She's taking a whole month off. That's enough time for her to have surgery."